Imperfect
by dragonflight829
Summary: Azusa Kuroki is the accidental and secret child of the human, Kyoya Kuroki and the vampire, Beatrix. After the murder of her father, she seeks out her two brothers, Reiji and Shuu, with a note from their mother. She is supposed to be mortal, with fangs too small to absorb blood. So when Yui has to leave on business and Azusa is left alone with the Sakamaki, what will happen?
1. Chapter 1

In the dead of night, a black car pulls up in front of the Sakamaki mansion. Out of this car steps a girl, one with aqua and white hair to her knees and little points at the end of her incisors. Dressed in clothes slightly fancier than ones she wore normally, she looked at the mansion, suitcase in hand. In her other fist she clutches a pearl white note rolled and tied with a simple red ribbon. She was finally going to meet her brothers, and live with them.

She walks leisurely up to the doors and sets down her suitcase to give the knocker three firm knocks. When she drew away her hand she had to only wait a moment before a tall man with the same stunning blue eyes as she had opened the door, drawn in by a sweet scent. "Um, are you Shuu or Reiji Sakamaki?" She said, oddly confident. The orange haired man before her looked her up and down with a skeptical glare.

"I'm Shuu Sakamaki, who are you?" Shuu said, a little less than politely, obviously suspicious.

"My name is Azusa Kuroki," She said, handing him the roll of paper, "I'm going to be living here for a while, here's a note from mom." Azusa picked up her suitcase and rolled it inside, walking right past Shuu, her half brother.

"Mom?" He whispered, knowing his mother was long dead. Shuu looked at her with a mixture of shock and anger, and grunted, stepping inside after her, his eyes glued to the paper as he unrolled it.. The date was from years ago, about sixteen from what he could tell.

"I smell something sweet,~" Another boy appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Azusa turned at the sound of another voice. She saw a garishly dressed boy, probably a year older than herself with a flashy fedora resting on his flashy reddish pink hair. "And who would this be?" He asked.

"Apparently, she's my sister," Shuu grumbled, still poring over the note. The bold boy beside him looked shocked for a moment then turned his attention to Azusa. She felt awkward having him staring at her but she kept a confident face anyway, and as soon as he noticed what she was doing, he started laughing.

"She's your sister alright. She even has your eyes." He said laughing, "My name is Laito, and you are?" Laito said with a flirtatious look that gave Azusa the chills.

Never the less, she answered calmly, "My name is Azusa Kuroki." Her answer was simple.

"Well then, Azusa, it's nice to meet you." A voice similar to her own rang out from behind her. she spun to see yet another boy walk towards Shuu. "Now what's all this about her being our sister, Shuu?" He said cooly. Azusa assumed he was Reiji, her other brother.

"Read for yourself." The oldest boy said, tossing the note to Reiji. Reiji fixed his glasses and began to read the page. As Azusa waited for him to read, she felt something cold on her neck, and whipped her head to the side, crashing it into the one that was hovering over her shoulder.

"Ow! She hit me in the head! All I wanted was a taste!" Azusa turned around and saw another boy, almost identical to Laito, clutching his head with a mean look on his face.

Azusa bowed in mock apology, "So sorry, I have uncontrollable reflexes when it comes to vampires trying to bite me from behind." She couldn't help but say the last part harshly, he should have expected her to react negatively. The red haired boy grunted and rubbed his head, still annoyed. Azusa straightened up and looked him in the eyes kindly.

"Hey Shuu, her eyes look just like yours." The boy said, looking over to Azusa's brother. Shuu just grunted, having heard enough on the matter. Reiji continued to scan the paper quietly.

"Teddy and I smelled something sweet, so we came downstairs. Now I see what it was." a purple haired boy appeared before Azusa, causing her to blink in confusion. "He must have teleported there or something," Azusa thought to herself. He seemed to be the same height as Azusa, but he was holding a teddy bear, so she assumed he was younger. The young boy licked his lips and Azusa shuddered yet again. Azusa was starting to feel cornered when another girl appeared. She sighed a breath of relief. Little did Azusa know she just came down because of the smell of Azusa's blood.

"Oh hello." The girl said, her blonde curls bouncing. "Who's this?" Yui, the girl asked the boys politely. At that moment Reiji stopped reading and tucked the note into one of the inside pockets of his jacket.

"I see we're all here." Reiji said, much to Azusa's confusion. She'd seen five boys come in, weren't there supposed to be six? Maybe her father had told her wrong. Azusa recounted and was shocked to see another boy, one with white hair and red eyes, leaning against the wall behind her. "Now if you'll all take a seat, I'll explain everything," Reiji said cooly, gesturing to the set of couches by the stairs a few yards away. By the time Azusa made her way over, All of the vampires had already teleported there and taken their seats. All the vampires aside from the mysterious red eyed one who just seemed content to lean against the wall nearby, and Reiji who was getting ready to explain. Shuu took up an entire couch in the back by himself, Kanato and Yui sat in chairs across from each other. and Azusa found the only place to sit was between Laito and the other red haired boy on a large couch.

Reiji cleared his throat and began, "As some of you have been informed, this young girl is Azusa Kuroki. She is the accidental and secret daughter of the human Kyoya Kuroki and the vampire Beatrix," Reiji practically spat his mother's name. Someone gasped, Azusa was pretty sure it was Yui. Suddenly she could feel all of the vampires' eyes on her. "As you've most likely guessed, she's the sister of Shuu and I, and has been requested by her parents to live here with us." Reiji gave Azusa an intimidating look, "Her purpose with us would to be that of a food source, due to some unique traits she possesses. For one, her blood can regenerate quicker than a human's and has been found to be very filling. It is only requested that we not take so much blood to kill her." Azusa looked around and saw dark looks on almost everyone's faces. She felt one of the boys beside her touch her hair and she shuddered for a fourth or fifth time, she'd lost count. "Further more, She was also born with many defects and has few traits of a vampire. She has great agility and has small fangs, too small to drink blood with. To the best of our knowledge, she's mortal," Reiji finished with a glare in Azusa's direction. She met his gaze with her own blue eyes and he soon looked away. "For the sake of formality, I'll introduce everyone," Reiji said, looking over to Shuu. "That's Shuu, the oldest son." Reiji looked to Subaru, "And that's Subaru, the youngest." Reiji looked to the chairs where Kanato, the boy with the Teddy bear, and Yui, the blonde girl, sat and introduced them.

"And on your right is Ayato, and on your left, Laito. My name is Reiji, she second son. Our butler will take your bags to your room." Reiji said, looking over to a man in a suit who was pulling Azusa's bag into the shadows. "Yui will take you to your room," Azusa's dark haired brother announced and Yui stood. Azusa followed the pink eyed girl, feeling six vampiric gazes burn into her back as she ascended the stairs.


	2. 2-Secrets

Azusa's room was between Yui's and Subaru's and across the hall from Ayato's. When Yui opened the door to the blue eyed girl's new room, Azusa's bag was lying on the bed. The two stepped inside and Yui shut the door behind them. "Hey Azusa, can I ask you something?" Yui asked hesitantly as Azusa walked to her bag and started to unpack.

"Sure," she replied simply.

"Well your blood… It smells so much like mine, maybe even stronger. Why is that?" Yui sat of the other side of the bed.

"Honestly, I wonder that myself all the time. Vampires used to attack me at least five times a week. I'd asked my father countless times, but he'd never give me a straight answer. Usually he'd just change the subject," Azusa said casually, brushing her aqua hair aside when it fell in her face.

"Well for me, the heart of a vampire who was the child of the demon king was implanted in me. That gave me strong and powerful blood. Something significant must of happened that your father doesn't want to make you aware of-"

"Didn't," Azusa said, placing all of her shirts into a drawer.

"What?" Yui seemed confused.

"You said something he _doesn't_ want to make me aware of. It's _didn't_. He's dead. I killed him. That's why I'm here now." Azusa said as she emptied the last of her belongings, a small silver dagger, into a drawer. She slid the empty bag under the bed.

Yui was silent for a moment, taking the information in. Soon she had to clear her throat to break the awkward silence that had developed between the two. "Well, I'll be leaving on a trip soon. I'll only be gone for a while. I'm a new vampire and all so I have to go through all this stuff." She said, half just to change the subject.

Azusa was silent for a while. 'Alone with six bloodthirsty, creepy, deadly vampires. Does she expect to return to my corpse?!' Azusa blinked a few times and told herself that if she could deal with the insane vampires from back home, she could deal with these boys. Vampires. If Yui was away, she wouldn't be able to tell the boys about Azusa's... Secret. But the bluenette needed to tell someone now that her father was gone. Every time she told someone it was like a huge weight being lifted off of her. But she had to be careful not to tell too many people, or the consequences could be deadly. "Then. Yui... Can you keep a secret?"


	3. Alone

for the next couple days, Yui was able to keep the vampires away from Azusa. Occasionally Yui would give little bits of information, but she never really said anything about the boys' pasts. Azusa learned the basic navigation of the mansion, but no matter how much she grew to like Yui, the new vampire still had to go sometime. When it was time for her to leave, everyone came to the door to see her off. Yui was bundled up in warm coats, luggage in hand. Her blond hair was sprawled across the back of her scarf, her purple earmuffs acting like a headband to push it back. When Azusa looked into her shimmering pink eyes, the new vampire almost looked like she was sad to leave. She'd grown rather attached, Azusa was shocked. A chilling breeze swept through the room as the door was closed. Azusa looked at the vampires as Yui left and none of them seemed very upset aside from Laito, in fact they looked rather indifferent. Laito was probably disappointed that his plaything had gone away, or maybe he had feelings for her, Azusa couldn't guess. Still, she felt a brief pang of pity for Yui. This flash of emotion was snuffed out when all six of the males turned their heads to glare at her; bloodlust in their eyes.

"I'll just be going to my room then." The bluenette said, bounding up the stairs to the safety of her room.

"And here I was, hoping she'd actually have some manners." Reiji mumbled after his sister. Most of the vampires disappeared from the lobby, plenty of them with their sights (and fangs) set on Azusa. Azusa bolted into her room and closed the door quickly. Resting her forehead on the wood as she caught her breath. She didn't get long to regain her strength, as she could already feel the presence of a vampire behind her. She gasped. "It really is rude to appear behind people you know," the blue eyed girl lifted her head and turned calmly.

"Oh, but you have such a sweet smell, how could I resist?" Laito's voice came from the other side of the room, lingering in Azusa's ears. She expected Ayato to be there, considering what had happened before, and was almost glad when she saw Laito leaning against the wall. She let out a small sigh of relief.

"Now what was that sigh for?~ are you happy to see me?" Laito said in his smooth voice. The sound of it made Azusa shiver inside.

"I just thought you were Ayato, that's all," Azusa said in as confident of a voice as she could manage. Laito broke out laughing at this, and he laughed for a few moments, making Azusa uncomfortable. Was she supposed to laugh too? In a blink of an eye, he was right in front of her, looking down with an evil looking smirk. Azusa looked up to meet his gaze. She refused to show any emotion.

"You're funny, I like you." Laito said before placing his hand under her chin and pushing it to the side so he could see her neck. Azusa stayed perfectly calm, used to much worse than this. She didn't even flinch when he pierced her pale neck with his fangs. But she did wince, however, when Laito pulled back baffled, "Your blood really is sweet... And filling. How...?" Laito search her face briefly, but she refused to meet his gaze. He wouldn't believe her if she said she didn't know. Laito just pierced her skin with his fangs once more. He tried many things to get a reaction from Azusa, but she wouldn't give him one. It was only when drew away and tried to touch her leg that she reacted.

She kicked him as hard as she could, knowing it wouldn't hurt him that badly. His hat fell off and he shot her a dirty look. Azusa paid no heed, "I'm here so you can take my blood. You can do that just fine from my neck." Azusa backed up so that she was closer to the drawer that held her silver dagger. "I think you've had enough blood for tonight, Laito." She said, returning the glare. Laito picked up his hat and stood, placing it on his head and dusting himself off.

"You're no fun. But next time, I won't let you get away with kicking me, I'll just have to punish you." He said in a creepy sing-song voice. His words lingered, even after he's teleported away.

"Yui... Why'd you leave me alone?..." Azusa whispered as she dressed into her night gown and got into bed.


	4. 4-first night

In the middle of the day, when everyone was asleep, Azusa was awoken by something touching her neck. She ignored it first and kept her eyes closed. It was only after a few minutes that she realized it must be one of the boys. In order to protect her blood, she pretended she was still asleep. The touch moved from her neck to her face then to her hair. She could feel the presence of someone sitting in front of her, but she couldn't figure out who. When the light touch moved to her collarbone, she shot out her fist, feeling it connect with something. She shifted and mumbled something incomprehensible, playing it off like she did it in her sleep, subconsciously. After a few moments of silence, the figure touched her hair a last time and their presence disappeared. That meant it had to be a vampire. Azusa opened her eyes and saw that no one else was in the room. "Which one of them was it?" She wondered. She felt her neck and arms, and when she was sure she had no new fang marks, she lied down and went back to sleep.


	5. Usa-chan

When Azusa woke up the next night, wrapped in her long hair, she was immediately disoriented. The blood loss, combined with this being her first time sleeping in the mansion really threw her off. As soon as she remembered where she was, she sat up and looked around. Instantly, Reiji was in the room with her. Ayato appeared moments later, followed by Kanato and his Teddy. Reiji fixed his glasses before speaking, "Although you are our prey, you will still attend night school with us. You will be in the same class as Yui, Ayato and Kanato." Ayato winked and Kanato looked up from Teddy with a devilish smirk upon hearing his name. Azusa blinked, absorbing the information, she was still groggy and he was being rather sudden with all of this new information.

"Yes, I understand. Thank you." Azusa said, blandly enough to make one of the little muscles in Reiji's face twitch. He was a stickler for manners, and for some reason Azusa liked to see him just a little annoyed. Maybe it was just because he was her brother and that's what siblings do.

"We've provided you with a uniform, as soon as you've changed, come down stairs," Reiji said, the annoyance in his voice just barely hidden. Azusa noticed then that they were all wearing identical suits. Identical aside from the fact that Ayato rolled up the pants on one of his legs. Reiji disappeared moments after he finished speaking, as if he couldn't bear to be around Azusa any longer. Kanato licked Azusa's cheek before he disappeared, leaving Azusa with a chill.

Ayato was about to leave (shockingly through the door) when he turned to Azusa, "You know, if you need help dressing, Yours T-" Before the red haired vampire could finish Azusa had picked up a pillow and thrown it at him. He left the room and shut the door with a laugh, leaving Azusa's pillow to hit the back of her door. She sighed and quickly changed. It felt like everything they were doing was rehearsed, like they'd already tormented a girl once, so they knew just how to do it again. Azusa felt another short pang of pity for the Yui. Azusa also found it odd that she never attended school while Yui was at the mansion, but now that Yui's gone, she has to.

After she was dressed, Azusa went to the bathroom down the hall so she could do her hair and wash her face. Honestly, she wasn't sure if it could really be considered a bathroom. It was giant, it had two giant vanities, a giant shower, a massive jacuzzi tub, couches and chairs, tons of floor space along with all of the regular things. Just as she finished combing through her knee-length aqua hair at one of the vanities, she spotted something behind her through the giant mirror. She whirled, picking up her brush reflexively.

Shuu was laying down on one of the couches that were in the large room., listening to his music. he had his eyes closed, and it didn't seem like he was even awake. Azusa walked cautiously toward her sleeping brother, curious as to why he suddenly teleported to the bathroom. She stood about a foot away from him, scared to get too close. He opened his eyes and looked at her with a dull expression, "Were you actually planning to use a hairbrush to defend yourself? Azusa looked down at the object in her hand as if she had no idea she'd been holding it. Before she could say anything, and while she was still distracted, Shuu grabbed her arm and pulled her over to him. Azusa dropped her hairbrush in shock and looked up into her brother's blue eyes with her own.

"Did you think just because you were my sister I wouldn't want to take your blood?" Shuu spoke dully, if anything he seemed a little upbeat for his usual self.

"N-no but I-" Azusa didn't get to finish. She was cut off by Shuu sitting up and pulling her head down to that her could pierce her neck with his fangs. "You are still mortal, just prey, a container to hold blood. I have no sympathy for such beings." The words reminded Azusa that she couldn't be afraid, she couldn't give Shuu the satisfaction. Azusa closed her eyes and regained a normal breathing pace. Shuu's eyes widened. Her blood was so sweet, and filling as well, he took it greedily. She opened her eyes when Shuu pulled out his fangs, thinking he was done. But Azusa was disappointed when she felt him grab her arm and turn it over so he could see her wrist. Azusa wasn't used to being bitten anywhere but her neck and she almost let out a cry of pain when he bit her arm. She focused on her breathing again, and soon, disappointed with the lack of reaction from his "prey." Shuu gave up and dropped her wrist. Shuu played it off like he'd taken enough blood from her, but Azusa knew his real reason. As soon as she made sure her hair wasn't messed up, she left the bathroom, and Shuu, and went down stairs. She descended the stairs slowly so she was able to hear any conversation that echoed from the dining room.

"Why don't you just call her the same thing you called Yui?" Ayato's voice was clearly heard

"Because insults like that don't embarrass her, they just make her want to kick me." Azusa heard Laito say back. "Besides, I don't hear you calling her 'Pancake'."

"Tch. That's different."

"How is that any different?"

"Yours Truly doesn't need to give a reason."

"What's that? Oh. Teddy has an idea for a nickname." Kanato interrupted. Azusa strained to hear him. There was a brief silence. "Teddy thinks you should call her Usa-chan." The name hit Azusa like a slap in the face. Azusa reddened slightly at the memory of past vampires calling her that, but quickly regained her senses; she mustn't let them see her embarrassed or angry or else they'll never leave her alone.

"It's perfect! and it makes sense because her name is 'AzUSA'!" Ayato exclaimed, stating the obvious. Azusa assumed he just felt the need to point out his thoughts because it made him feel like he was being listened to, and that he was more intelligent. She had already noticed his need to feel superior.

Azusa waited a few moments before entering the dining room. As soon as she was visible, Laito gave her an odd look before speaking, "Good morning, Usa-chan." Azusa took her seat, reminding herself to stay calm. But the look from Laito was too much, she felt heat rush to her cheeks and looked away, refusing to meet his glance. How humiliating. She'd been trying to be confident and strong this whole time and they give her a nickname like Usa-chan. Ayato laughed at her, and Azusa forced herself to eat her breakfast in silence.


	6. 6-Kanato

On the limo ride to school, Reiji explained the same thing he explained to Yui on the way to her first day of school. He told Azusa that she was their prey and was to drink cranberry juice everyday to strengthen her blood. Surprisingly, Ayato was sitting far away from her in the car, sulking. She assumed because of his obsessive nature he'd be right beside her all the time. But for some reason, it was always Laito or Reiji. Mostly Laito. At school, when Azusa walked into her classroom, she saw only Kanato. Kanato and Teddy that is. There was no teacher that she could see, and apparently Ayato was missing too. "Where is everyone?" Azusa asked, looking around the classroom. It was good sized, she wondered why there were no students filling up the dozens of empty wooden desks.

"There's never any teacher in the class, no one knows why, "Kanato spoke, his eyes still glued to Teddy, who he was making dance and whispering to. There was a brief silence.

"So what do you usually do in this class?" Azusa asked, walking over to Kanato.

"Ayato usually doesn't come, and I stay and talk to Teddy. Of course it was different on some of Yui's days. Teddy is surprised he hadn't come to get you yet." Kanato said in his sing- song voice. Something about what he said made Azusa cringe. That Ayato hadn't come to get her yet. He spoke of his brother like some sort of fairy tale monster that ate bad children. Azusa imagined what that would look like then quickly dismissed the thought.

"Oh no Teddy, Reiji would be angry." Kanato whispered to his bear quietly. He put his ear to the animals mouth. "Just one taste might not hurt. And you're right, Laito did say her blood was delicious," Kanato looked up at Azusa who was playing with her hair in the next seat over. She hadn't heard anything he said. Kanato teleported over, and just as she registered what was happening, he bit her from behind. Azusa gasped in shock. She never thought Kanato would do something like that in school. Kanato pulled back, "Laito was right, you are delicious…" Kanato laughed and Azusa flinched, only making him laugh more. "I like the sweet flavor of your blood. Here Teddy, have a taste." Kanato wiped the excess blood of of Azusa's neck with Teddy's snout. Within moments, Reiji was in the room with them. He really did have a thing for rules.

"Kanato. I can not believe you'd disgrace us but performing such an act at school," Azusa's raven haired brother scolded Kanato. "Please come speak with me after school, Kanato." Reiji said before disappearing again. Azusa assumed that he actually wanted to attend his class.


	7. Reiji

The rest of the school day was normal enough, all though the boys made sure she didn't meet anyone or make any friends. The limo ride home was normal as a car full of vampires could be, and after arriving home sometime in the A.M., everyone went about their business. Ayato pushed open the doors to the mansion and strode in. "First one inside yet again." he said to himself, stretching. Shuu instantly teleported to the couch, as expected.

"Hmm… Usa-chan, I'm thirsty," Kanato said and Azusa froze, did he want her blood? Ayato made a face and Laito shot his red haired brother a dirty look, forcing the two to try and stare each other down. Azusa ignored them. "Get me something sweet to drink." Azusa let out the breath she was holding.

"Of course-" Azusa stuttered.

She was interrupted by Reiji, "Kanato, I still need to talk to you, please come up to my lab, and Azusa, please be careful in my kitchen." Reiji said while pushing up the bridge of his glasses. He disappeared half a moment later, Ayato muttering something about being a tableware otaku after him. Soon, Kanato disappeared as well. Azusa then proceeded to walk into the kitchen, searching for something sweet to drink. She was disappointed to find only tea, coffee and water. Maybe she was looking in the wrong places? She opened up a second fridge and saw some lemonade. Surely this had to be sweet enough.

"There you are, Usa-chan." A figure appeared inches behind Azusa and she felt something touch her neck. By now Azusa was familiar with Laito's voice, and his need for her blood. I guess I totally misunderstood Ayato and Laito, despite the information I was given. Ayato's a lot quieter than I thought, whereas Laito won't leave me alone. "Maybe I'll have something sweet to drink too, Usa-chan.~" Azusa could hear him laugh then bear his fangs. She braced herself for the impact of his fangs. He seemed to be more forceful this time in taking her blood. All of the vampires seemed to be trying more and more to get her to break her confidence. To make her scared of them.

Azusa just stood and tried to focus on her breathing. Although it wasn't necessary for her to breathe most of the time, she'd been told that oxidized blood had a better taste. Even if this rumor wasn't true, it still made her feel more human. Laito moved his fangs from her neck to her shoulder, and it was all Azusa could do to keep herself relatively calm. Eventually after what seemed like an eternity, Laito pulled back, frowning. "Your blood may taste good, Usa-chan," Laito smirked, "but the fear is half the fun." Laito disappeared after that. Azusa wondered why they were always teleporting, It's as if they didn't want to be around her, and exiting properly would be too much. She had come to their home expecting to be nothing but a food source, so why did she feel disappointed? She poured out some lemonade for Kanato and walked upstairs with it. She assumed he was still with Reiji. She knocked on the door, but all she heard was a clinking noise. She cracked the door open and peaked inside. She couldn't see anyone. She opened the door all the way and saw that Reiji was sitting behind a mound of science equipment, pouring substances from one vial to another.

"Can I help you, Azusa?" Reiji said without looking up, recognizing her by the sweet scent of her blood.

"I was just looking for Kanato… I brought him something to drink." Azusa said, searching Reiji's pale face from afar for signs of where his younger brother might have gone. Reiji didn't look annoyed like he was when she usually saw him, being in this lab must calm him down. Azusa set down the lemonade and walked towards where Reiji was. He seemed completely focused, it was amazing. Azusa leaned on the counter beside him. "What are you-" Azusa hissed in pain. She'd leaned right against a scalpel, the one he'd just been using.

Reiji looked up at her, the strong scent of her blood drawing his attention, "Stupid girl, that's toxic!" Reiji said, standing up and pulling the blade out of her hand. He sighed in frustration. "It's bad enough I have to smell the imperfection that is your blood through your skin, now you've gone and spilled it on my experiment. Hasn't anyone ever told you to watch where you place your hands? What awful manners. I'll have to properly discipline you." Reiji went off on her. Although his words hurt, he really wasn't yelling, just speaking sternly. She guessed it was against his good manners to yell. The part about her blood being imperfect stung, she was very self conscious about her bloodlines, and tried hard to be as human as possible. But sometimes being part vampire couldn't be avoided. Reiji took her hand so he could look at it. he bared his fangs as if he planned to take the blood for himself.

Azusa looked at the wound then at him. "It won't kill me," She interrupted, "I have enough vampire in my imperfect blood for this small amount of poison. Don't soil your fangs with my imperfect blood." Azusa spoke dully, all of a sudden too tired for emotion. His comment really brought her down. "My apologies for causing you trouble." Azusa met his gaze as he looked up at her, puzzled. She drew back her hand, blood still flowing. "I'll just bring Kanato his lemonade now, if you don't require me for anything."

Reiji blinked a few times and straightened up. He pushed up his glasses. "I require nothing from you. Kanato is in the graveyard, now get out of my sight." As soon as Azusa was gone with the lemonade, his face became softer. "What did I say that switched her attitude so entirely? Is the effects of the toxin? No. Maybe it's because I'm her brother she thought she could trust me…? No, she'd not that naïve. Was it the imperfect comment? Surely she knows she's not perfect. Imperfect blood though…" Reiji thought on the topic for a while as he continued with his experiment.


	8. 8-Subaru

Azusa walked downstairs, through the giant doors, and outside. She looked at her feet, mindlessly navigating her way through the garden. From what she knew, the graveyard should be right behind the large garden. Azusa didn't see Kanato as someone who has a large interest in flowers, so she headed in that direction. She thought about a lot of things as she walked, mostly she thought about what had happened with Reiji and about her father's death. She kept her eyes glued to her feet, finding her way by the color of the flower petals on the ground.

Azusa's thoughts were interrupted when something that didn't look like flower petals or fallen twigs moved into her field of vision. White… boots? Azusa looked up with a dazed expression. Before her stood Subaru, she expected him to look angry, but he didn't seem to be bothered too much. Azusa took a step back and bowed in apology, careful not to spill the lemonade. "Subaru, I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." The emotion was starting to seep back into Azusa, she could never stay depressed for long. Azusa straightened up as Subaru turned his back to walk away.

Just then, Azusa remembered something, "I find it ironic that I ran into you in the garden just as Yui did," Azusa said, and he turned around.

"What did she tell you?" Subaru said, wondering if Azusa now knew about his dark past.

"She told me that she was running and wanted to leave, and that you told her that she should have run while she had the chance," Azusa recited, and Subaru took a step closer. "She said that when she asked you why you gave her the silver knife, you told her-"

"Enough!" Subaru grabbed her upper arm tightly, making her drop the lemonade, "Just what is it that you want from me?" "She's threatening me with her knowledge. She wants something! What does she want from me?!" Subaru thought, reflecting his emotion through his blood red eyes. Azusa blinked, shocked. She'd never meant to anger him, she was just pointing out a coincidence and then answering his question. Maybe she'd been a little insensitive while explaining what Yui said.

"I- I don't want anything… I-I'm sorry." Azusa's shock was clear on her face, it mixed with sympathy, innocence and a tiny bit of fear. Subaru stopped and his eyes widened slightly. He drew her to him. Azusa smiled and giggled a little. "Now It's exactly like Yui and your encounter, isn't it?" Azusa drew her aqua hair to the far side of her neck, remembering what happened to her blond friend. She silently waited as he leaned down and bit her neck. Azusa showed no fear. Having her blood taken felt best right now. Subaru even commented on the taste at one point. "I'm human." Azusa thought to herself over and over. When Subaru was done he looked back up at Azusa, searching her face for emotion. She just smiled weakly, he'd taken a lot of blood.

Subaru narrowed his eyes. "Why is it you want us to take your blood? You never had to come here, you could have run away."

Azusa held her smile for a moment then it faded away. She looked down, "Because giving my blood makes me feel human. I know it's terrible to lie to myself, saying that I am human… but being called impure, imperfect… Being the one who gets my blood taken makes me feel less useless… and less of an abomination..." That crossed the line for Subaru. He hated how someone has similar issues to his, it felt like someone was mocking him. Never the less, he could see that she really had no idea what he'd been through. He decided to just pull her into a hug again, despite his conflicting emotions. She was able to influence him so easily, he hated it. But he couldn't bring himself to truly hate her. Why when they just met, was she already causing a whirlwind of emotion inside him?

Azusa seemed shocked when he hugged her. This never happened to Yui. It was something she said. Did he pity her? "S-Subaru… you don't have to pity me you know." Azusa said, looking up to meet his gaze. He avoided her eyes and pressed her head back against his chest. She understood then what made him act so strangely. She was silent for a while while she thought of something to say. The night was fleeting, and it was almost time for the sun to rise. The cool night air brushed against Azusa's pale skin and played with her hair. It was the sight of the black sky shifting to navy that made the imperfect girl speak up. "Subaru…" She whispered, capturing his attention, "I have a silver dagger… I'll take Yui's place until she returns."


	9. A second time

Azusa fell asleep easily that night, Subaru's embrace had soothed her. She wondered if that changed anything between them. It seemed the nature of the vampires to treat her like food no matter what, but it just seemed different somehow. Kanato had never brought up the lemonade again either.

Same as the night before, Azusa was awoken by someone stroking her face. And same as the night before, she pretended to be asleep. She tried to decide on who the person could be. It wasn't Reiji or Shuu, that was for sure. It wouldn't be Kanato either. That left Ayato, Laito and Subaru. Although, this was out of character for all of them. Azusa decided to fake a nightmare just to see. She sped up her breathing and made it a little shakier. She frowned and moved her eyes back and forth under her eyelids. She curled in her fingers and felt the mystery person lift up their hand, as if they were scared she would punch them again. "I guess this confirms that this is the same one as before." Azusa thought. She slowed her breathing and relaxed her face a little, trying to draw a reaction from the vampire beside her. The vampire hesitated before he gently put his hand on her side, rubbing up and down from her shoulder to her hip in an attempt to calm her down. Azusa relaxed, just as the vampire wanted. She decided she's say the three "suspects'" names and take note of the reactions.

"Subaru." She muttered, half sighing. This would only work if the vampire thought she was talking in her sleep. The vampire would leave if he thought she was waking up, just like the previous night. The vampire paused briefly, but then continued comforting her. Azusa moved her head slightly, "Laito." No reaction. She adjusted her head again, "Ayato." The vampire stopped, and Azusa heard him stand. Her heart skipped a beat. She sat up abruptly and opened her eyes, "Ayato?!" There was no one else in the room with her. He'd teleported away. And Azusa was almost positive it was Ayato. But this was way out of character for him, at least for how Yui described him. He wasn't gentle and soothing, he was dominant and demanding. So why would he act like this? She'd have to confront him tomorrow. For then, she decided it'd be best to just go back to sleep. She drew her hair to the side and lied down once more.


	10. 10-Ayato

Azusa woke up to darkness the next night, tiny moon beams filtering through the glass of her windows. She yawned and stretched. She slid out from under her blankets and walked over to her dresser groggily. Reiji would be angry is she wasn't ready for school in time. She was about to grab her school uniform when she realized it was Saturday. She groaned and threw on a tee shirt and skirt and walked to the bathroom. No Shuu. She did her hair and brushed her teeth before going back to her room. No one there either. Azusa was pretty sure this was a record for the longest time without vampire interaction. She put on some shoes and a comfortable sweatshirt and headed downstairs. She was feeling much more awake now. At breakfast she saw that nothing had changed since the day before. She was starting to sense her place with these vampires and was feeling less awkward. Subaru was acting no different, and Ayato was acting normally too. All of the vampires were behaving perfectly normally. Since this was her first day at the mansion without school or Yui, Reiji had to explain what was going to happen. Basically, Azusa could do whatever she wanted, as long as she didn't leave and she still gave up her blood when asked. It was something Azusa could handle easily.

However, Azusa did approach Ayato. She waited until everyone was off doing their own thing, so she wouldn't be interrupted. She walked up to him after breakfast.

"Ayato, can I talk to you?" She asked, trying not to sound too rude. Ayato gave her an odd look, as if he was trying to read her reasoning on her face.

He smirked, "I knew you'd seek Yours Truly out eventually; I am the best." Azusa smiled too, glad he would actually talk talk to her. "Follow me to my room," He said, only then did Azusa realize why he seemed so keen on the idea. He just wanted her blood. She tried not to look afraid as she followed him upstairs.

"I've never actually had a real conversation with Ayato," Azusa thought as he opened the door to his room and walked inside. The space was surprisingly clean and ordinary, aside from the iron maiden lying in the middle of the floor. That was creepy. Ayato sat on one of the couches in his room and pulls Azusa over to sit beside him. The smirk from before hadn't left his face. "Ayato I don't mean to be rude, but…" Azusa shifted in her seat and reminded herself how important it was to be confident considering Ayato took pleasure in her fear. "Why haven't you tried to drink my blood yet? You aren't acting at all like Yui said. You've barely even been in the same room with me, but I still heard you talking about me openly last night." Azusa gave him a puzzled look.

Ayato laughed, "You look so confused. Although that look humors me, I'll tell you why. Because I want chichinashi all to myself, my brothers think I shouldn't get to have you at all." Ayato placed his far hand on the other side of Azusa, trapping her. Azusa stayed as calm as she could. It all made sense. Before when Kanato wanted something to drink, Ayato was about to say something, and Laito shot Ayato a look. The fact that Ayato wasn't at school.

"One more thing before I let you take my blood. Because you aren't allowed to be around me at night, do you find it necessary to rebel and be around me during the day, while I'm asleep?"

Ayato blinked and blushed slightly, something he resented her for. "Tch," was all Ayato said before leaning towards Azusa's neck. Azusa moved her hair out of the way as she felt something touch her neck. She shuddered on purpose, but Ayato didn't know the difference. He smirked and bit down on her neck. From there she decided not to be scared. Ayato pulled back briefly, "This is good… This is really why my brothers wouldn't let Yours Truly have you!" Ayato said before biting her once again. After a while, he pulled back again, not satisfied with her reaction, "Hey, aren't you scared?" Ayato said, frustrated and bored.

"No. None of you scare me. I came here by choice." Azusa said, shaking her head.

"Then what does scare you?" Ayato said with a devilish smirk.

"Myself." Azusa looked down. "I guess you could taunt me about it and make me feel upset, but it won't scare me."

Ayato didn't lose his smirk, "What exactly scares you about yourself?" He wasn't giving up. Ayato wanted to see how horror looked spread across her face. Azusa looked up and met his gaze.

"I can only tell you if you promise not to tell the other five. I wouldn't want them knowing what scares me, I only want you to see my fear." Despite not wanting him to make her fear herself even more, she felt she needed to tell one of them besides Yui. Ayato seemed like the best one to tell so she could use his greed to make sure he stayed silent.

Ayato grinned, "Yours Truly approves, now show me your secret, Usa-chan." Azusa frowned and took a breath, her exhale shaky. She leaned forward, her mouth resting beside Ayato's ear. He smirked with the idea that she would whisper her secret to him. She hesitantly leaned in further and opened her mouth wide. Something clicked and her incisors seemed to extend in one quick motion. Azusa leaned forward in one fluid motion and bit Ayato's neck. She took a little blood, and was surprised at how good it was. She wanted more. More. She managed to clear her head after a minute or two and was quickly scared and disgusted with herself. What if she had taken all of his blood? What is he'd passed out? Would he have ever forgiven her? She pulled out her fangs and leaned back, hugging herself. Her breathing was shaky and she looked on the verge of tears. This was the price she needed to pay for telling someone else her secret. She told herself it was all worth it to tell someone else, but she only half believed it. She watched as Ayato's shock turned to happiness. He started laughing and Azusa tried to calm herself down.

"Are you satisfied now, Ayato?" Azusa said, meeting his gaze with pain in his eyes. She would have taken all of his blood. If he was mortal that would have killed him.

"Yours Truly is never satisfied. Now tell me I'm the best."


	11. After

After Azusa had regained her confidence, Ayato was quickly bored and released her. She exited his room calmly and walked down the hall towards the kitchen, needing something to drink. Azusa needed to regenerate her lost blood. On the way there she passed Subaru sitting on a windowsill. She said hello and he acknowledged her presence. She was glad he was still on good terms with her after what happened.

Unfortunately for the blue haired imperfection, she also ran into Laito. He seemed to appear right in front of her.

"I'm sorry Laito but I'm nearly out of blood... I can't give you any right now." Azusa said, stepping around Laito hastily. If she let him take her blood he'd take all of it, he'd kill her. And then she would come back. Then she'd lose the title of mortal, and that was the last thing she wanted. But Laito grabbed her arm anyway.

"Ah ah ah. You can not deny me your blood, Usa-chan.," Laito said, appearing in front of her again. "You still have blood for me to drink." Laito gave a devilish smirk and his green eyes glinted in a way that made Azusa's heart skip a beat. She reminded herself not to show fear.

"You may not kill me." Azusa said, angry now. "Laito, let me go." Her emotion was palpable in her tone of voice. Laito pushed her harshly into a wall, knocking the breath out of her. Laito laughed, and while she was still catching her breath, leaned over to her neck.

"Laito." A firm voice came from behind Laito. If Azusa could have sighed she would have. Laito swore quietly, Azusa could only hear because his mouth by her ear. Laito dropped Azusa and she forced herself to stay on her feet. She put a hand on her chest and Laito turned to Reiji with his mischievous smile. "The agreement was that we wouldn't take enough blood to kill her." Reiji said sternly, pushing up his glasses. "It'd be rude to go against that."

Laito sighed, "You're no fun." He smiled again before walking a few steps away and disappearing. Reiji turned to Azusa who had just regained her breath and was brushing herself off. Her long blue hair would certainly have several knots in it now.

"Thank you, Reiji." The girl said, gazing gratefully at her brother with her blue optics.

Reiji just pushed up his glasses, "I was simply doing what was right, don't think of it as anything else." He said, his voice smooth and even. He took a brief glance to the side in both directions before talking again, "Please follow me to my lab, I need to speak with you." Reiji walked towards the red carpeted stairs, not worried about Azusa following him. The young girl had to jog to catch up.

"Pardon me asking, but why the lab?" She said as she matched her pace with him.

"Because Shuu will be in the study, and it'd be impolite to take you to my bedroom." He said without hesitation. Azusa had to walk quickly up the stairs to keep up. Why was Reiji in such a hurry? Maybe he just wanted to avoid his brothers? Was what he needed to talk to her about urgent? Azusa felt her blood turn cold when she wondered what they'd be talking about. Maybe he just wanted to kill her himself?


	12. 12-Onii-chan

Azusa was tense the whole way up to the lab, and almost jumped when she walked into the room and heard the door shut behind her. "What did you want to talk to me about, Reiji?" The impure girl asked, wanting to know before her curiosity drove her mad. Reiji sat down in the chair by the door and pushed up the bridge of his glasses.

"I can smell Ayato's blood within you." The pink haired vampire said bluntly. Azusa froze. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't think of any words. It took her a moment before she could say anything, "Is it that obvious?" She said, touching her blue hair self-consciously. There was no point in denying the fact, but she was afraid of how much he'd figured out.

"I doubt anyone else could tell." Reiji said after a small hesitation.

"Not even Shuu?"

"Don't speak that name around me."

This shocked Azusa. She knew all of the brothers were, well, brothers. They all were unfriendly, but she thought that they all had enough and common and acted well enough around each other. She had no idea their hatred extended this far. Maybe it was just her brothers? Something hit Azusa. Maybe if she had been there as a child as a mediator or even someone to blame and ignore, her brothers might get along better now. She felt a pang of guilt.

"I think I've pieced it all together now... In fact, I know I have." Reiji said, shattering Azusa's thoughts and bringing her back to reality.

"Oh?" Azusa said, trying her best to hide her concern. She could feel a drop of cold sweat on her temple, and she wiped it away, playing it off like she was fixing her hair.

"The way you reacted to my comment before. I told you that you had imperfect blood, remember?" He said, his tone perfectly even. Too even. Azusa suddenly felt light headed. Reiji was too "perfect" of a child. He'd tell everyone for sure. Her life as she knew it was over, she just knew it. She strained to stay collected.

"You're more of a vampire then you let on, aren't you, Azusa?"

Azusa held back the tears that were trying to force their way out. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"And if I am? What will you do then?" Azusa looked for some reaction in his eyes.

Reiji looked back into her eyes cooly. The fact that he was so calm intimidated her, it was like he knew something she didn't.

Reiji blinked and pushed up his glasses, "Nothing. I will simply avoid the issues that would come of your condition."

Azusa's features relaxed and a bit of color came back to her face. He wasn't going to tell anyone? Why? What else did he want?

"There is nothing I could gain from telling everyone, and no one requires this information. It's as simple as that, don't think of it as anything else." Azusa had obviously regained some of her senses by that point, because she noticed something. That was twice that day he'd insisted he wasn't helping her. Twice that he felt the need to clarify his coldness towards her. Could it be a facade? Maybe he really did just need a dependable sibling. Maybe he was ashamed to the fact he was actually warming up to his sister. Azusa held back a smirk.

"Thank you-" Azusa said, her relief palpable in her voice. At least until Reiji interrupted.

"It would be a waste to tell them anyway. The full moon is tomorrow. If you're not careful, they'll find out anyway."

Azusa pondered on the thought.

"That's all I had to talk to you about. It's almost sunrise anyway." Reiji said, his way of saying,"I'm done with you, get lost."

Azusa nodded and walked to the door. Before she stepped out she turned around and told Reiji, "Thank you, Onii-chan." She gave a small smile and shut the door a moment later. She figured that made up for when he and the other vampires teleported away after getting the last word in.

Reiji's shock showed on his face, and he was glad that his sister had closed the door before she could see his reaction.

*(Author note: I'm sorry if I used Onii-chan improperly, but it fits much better than "brother" or even "bro")


	13. nightmare

Despite getting in the last word with Reiji, Azusa's slumber was filled with nightmares- or daymares considering she was nocturnal now.

She dreamed that Reiji told everyone about her, and they all looked down on her. She imagined Reiji not wanting to look at her because of her imperfection. She imagined Shuu averting his eyes as well. Kanato looked disgusted, and Laito had a stone cold expression on his face, and glared holes in Azusa. Atato sulked and refused to look at her, just like her brothers. Worst of all, was Subaru. He didn't even have a reaction. What did he think of her now? Had he thought badly of her the whole time, so that knowing what she was wasn't even a surprise? Did he ever think of her as anything other than food? Of course he did, in the garden... right? Azusa tried to run to him, but it felt like she was moving through water. She called out to him, but he gave no sign that heard her. She struggled and tried to get to him, but it was no use, she couldn't close the distance between them, nor could she draw a reaction.

She closed her eyes to give up, and suddenly found herself lying on a table in her father's study. This time she couldn't move. Her small body reacted without her consent. She twisted and struggled, and Azusa noticed that her hands were tied to the wooden platform.

"Dad, what are you trying to do?! Why?!" She called out and her dad moved into her field of vision. He was wearing a paper mask over his mouth and nose, one of the ones doctors wore. His glasses were tied around his head in the back to keep them from falling, and his sea blue hair was messier than usual. He wheeled with him a tray of medical equipment along beside him. Horrifyingly, next to all of the metal tools, sat a jar. A jar with a heart floating inside it.

"It's alright Azusa, relax, you won't remember this later." Azusa looked from the jar to her father, who was now holding a syringe. Her father put a hand on her and his touch felt so real that she screamed. She jolted awake. She gasped for air to satisfy her pounding heart. Her heart. Was it even hers?

Azusa looked around and her eyes fell on a figure standing at her bedside. The bright light that shone from her curtains reflected against him.

"Subaru?" Azusa whispered, sitting up and blinking a few times to adjust to the light. The image of his indifferent face flashed before her and she gasped, unable to contain her emotion in the middle of the day. Subaru looked down at her with a concerned expression, and she guessed he was having the same problem.

"You were calling out my name in your sleep." He said simply, making some color rush to Azusa's pale face.

"Oh I was...? I'm sorry if I woke you..." The blue haired vampire avoided Subaru's gaze and looked down at her hands. "Did I say anything else?" She said, embarrassed.

"You yelled to your father, and you screamed when I tried to wake you." Subaru tried not to look embarrassed about waking her up from her nightmare. Performing an act of kindness was out of character for him. Luckily for him, Azusa wasn't looking at his face when he spoke. She was busy being embarrassed about yelling to her father. She struggled to remember the content of that dream, it was quickly fleeting from her memory. But she remembered it being terrifying. The sweat and tears dried on her face were proof of that.

"Thank you for waking me, Subaru. I hope I wasn't too loud..." Azusa said, looking up at his face. He contained his embarrassment, but just barely. His lip twitched slightly. He just nodded, but that was enough of a reaction for Azusa. A thought popped into her head as Subaru turned to leave. How many vampires had she woken?

"W-Wait, Subaru." Azusa said after him. "Um... I know this is a lot to ask...but...um... Could you stay until I fall asleep?" Azusa said, blushing. "I'm afraid that since Ayato is just across the hall... If he knows I'm awake he'll want to come and take my blood..." Subaru knew that this was a very real fear, and his brother would do exactly as Azusa described if given the chance.

"Just so he doesn't kill you." Subaru said, walking over to Azusa's bedside and sitting down at her feet. Azusa smiled and laid back down, resting her head in her mass of blue hair.

"Thank you again, Subaru," She said with the closing of her pale eyelids.


	14. 14-Breakfast

"Wakey wakey, Usa-chan!" A familiar voice came from Azusa's bedside the next night. She opened her eyes, sitting up groggily. She hadn't necessarily had the best sleep.

"'Ood morming, Aito." Azusa said in a yawn. She looked at her clock and got out of bed, stretching. "I'm surprised Reiji let you up here alone after last night." Azusa said walking over to her dresser. Laito smirked and grabbed her arm before she could go any further, spinning her around and kissing her out of nowhere. She froze. This was new, and it caught her off guard. Laito pulled away abruptly and quickly pierced her neck. "L-Laito?" Azusa said, still in shock. Laito moved from her neck, to the top of her shoulder and Azusa understood. It was a full moon. Now that she thought about it, even she was craving blood. The thought scared her, and she shuddered. When Laito had taken almost all of her blood, he pulled away and smiled at the still-shocked expression on Azusa's face.

"You make for a great morning snack, Usa-chan." Laito chuckled devilishly and kissed her again briefly before vanishing. Azusa blinked several times before getting ready groggily and mindlessly, telling herself that the past few minutes never happened. Despite her mindless state, she still had the sanity to slip her knife onto her person before heading downstairs.

Azusa really woke up somewhere around two seconds after she tripped over her heel on the stairs and became airborne. She quickly teleported to the bottom of the stairs (standing of course) and caught her breath. She looked around and was relieved when she saw that no one had seen her. Not only was he clumsiness embarrassing, but teleporting would be a big problem if someone saw. She smoothed out her hair and uniform, then continued walking to where the rest of the vampires were eating breakfast.


	15. Blood

School was shockingly normal for a full moon. Shockingly normal, aside from Ayato giving himself papercuts and "accidentally" stabbing Kanato with his pencil. Every time this would happen, which was at least twice an hour, Azusa would have to place her hand over her mouth casually so no one could see her fangs. Smelling such pure blood on a full moon was driving her crazy, and there was no way she could hide it from Ayato. He, on the other hand, was eagerly watching her every time he performed one of his little acts. He'd grin like a madman at any reaction she seemed to have. Vampires on full moons really were terrifying.

Azusa, a few minutes before one of her classes was about to end, had an idea. It occurred to her while she had her hand over her mouth. She looked over to Ayato and grinned with her eyes. Then she pricked her hand with a fang, a pulled it a centimeter or two from her face. The whole act practically screamed, "Two can play at that game."

Ayato scowled, plotting how to get her back. Before he could do anything, the bell rang. Saved by the bell in a literal sense, Azusa took the opportunity to bolt out of the classroom and into the hallway, desperately trying to lose herself in the crowd.

She stopped trying to get away when she reached the area where the tutoring rooms were. Small spaces with a table and lamp, and no window on the door so that kids didn't get distracted. There was a rumor that they were sound proof too. Azusa walked in the middle of the hallway. Most of the kids had gone to the area where their next class would be, so only a few lingered in the area. She didn't have any friends so avoiding the Sakamaki was a normal activity for her between classes. All of a sudden, as she was walking, a hand shot out from one of the tutoring rooms and grabbed her arm. She instantly twisted away, but as she turned to see who had grabbed her, she was pushed into the room from her other side. She stumbled into the small room, baffled for a moment. There was no one there. Then it all clicked into place in her mind. She turned to face Ayato, clicking the door shut behind him.

Azusa straightened up and took a step backwards, brushing up against the table. "Hello, Ayato."

Ayato gave a grin, "No one teases Yours Truly with their blood and gets away with it." He said, taking a step towards her and grabbing her wrists to keep her from going anywhere. With minimal hesitation, he leaned forward and pierced her neck with his fangs. Azusa flinched this time, the full moon making her more sensitive, as it was almost at it's highest point in the sky. The following few minutes were the longest of Azusa's life. She soon noticed that Ayato's cuts weren't bandaged yet, and she could still smell them. A full moon, having your blood taken, while being tempted by terrifying vampire urges.

Ayato picked up on her fear. The red haired vampire pulled back and chuckled in a low tone next to her ear. "Hmm... You're probably just as bloodthirsty as I am on the full moon, aren't you, Usa-chan?" Ayato adjusted his head so that his neck was in front of her face.

Azusa felt her pupils dilate. Too much. She lunged forward like a snake and bit down on his neck. She didn't notice for a good while what she was doing, and when she did, she pulled back quickly, making Ayato hiss in pain. Azusa lept onto the table backwards and slid a few feet, wanting to get as far away from Ayato as she could. On her face was a look of horror, one she couldn't suppress. How much blood had she taken? How long had she lost herself for? She'd hurt Ayato only a few moments ago! She hugged her knees to her chest and buried her face in them so Ayato couldn't see it.

Ayato laughed slowly at first, then got louder and larger. When he was able to catch his breath, he looked right at Azusa. "If a bit of my blood is all it takes to see that look on your face, maybe Yours Truly will make this a monthly routine.," Ayato said, moving to her side, "Now then, don't hide that face from me, I want my blood's worth." He said while laughing, pulling her head out of her knees by the deeper blue that was the hair near her roots. Azusa made a squeak and turned her head away. Ayato laughed some more. "Stubborn as always, Usa-chan. Although, Yours Truly has never seen you react this much. It's amazing."

"Stop it Ayato, or I might not be able to control the vampiric will to fight you either." Azusa said, pretending to be scared. Beating up a vampire with her own two fists was not something she was afraid of. Her fists weren't lethal. Ayato continued to tease her, and in response, Azusa swung her elbow into his chest and flipped her arm up, hitting him in the face with the same blow. "I told you." She said swinging her legs, then herself off of the table while he was registering what had happened. Azusa had recomposed herself now, and wasn't about to give in to anything Ayato wanted.

"Tch, you're not scared anymore. Get lost, you're wasting my time." Ayato said out of the blue, heading for the door.

"I wonder why he left like that, his excuse didn't sound right. He could have overpowered me fighting, I'm sure. Did he not want to hurt me? Impossible. Maybe he really was bored, who knows with him," Azusa wondered after him. He didn't bother her for the rest of the school day, or the limo ride home.


	16. 16-Scarborough fair

Personally, Azusa didn't think that the brothers were acting all that bad. Maybe it was just because most of them had the decency not to attack in public. When she thought about it. The only time she really could have been bitten properly was in the morning; and she was. Once home, she had a few hours to kill before their monthly dinner party. (Which just so happened to be on the full moon this month.) She walked down the hall, avoiding vampires, when the phone rang. She'd been told none of the phones in the house worked, but then again, maybe the Sakamaki were just bluffing so she or Yui wouldn't make calls. She hesitantly picked up the phone by it's old, thin handle.

"Hello, Sakamaki residence." Azusa tried not to sound awkward.

"Oh, yes, the number worked, thank you." The person said faintly from the other line.

"Yui?" Azusa asked, recognising the soft voice.

"Azusa, hello. Funny, I expected Reiji to answer." The girl's voice rang out from the other side.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's listening in. There's no way he'd let his impure little sister answer the phone unsupervised." Azusa said, hinting that Yui shouldn't mention anything about her vampiric side.

Yui giggled, "You're right. Anyway, it looks like we'll be stuck in some pretty bad traffic. I'll try my best to be home before the dinner party!"

Azusa smiled. "It's no problem. Just get here whenever you can. I'll see you tonight."

"See you. And thank you, Azusa," Yui said before hanging up.

Azusa placed the piece of the phone she was holding back onto the actual machine. Azusa sighed and continued roaming. She ran into Subaru once and chatted with him briefly, informing him that she had her silver dagger on her. She passed Shuu a few times, resting on random couches while listening to music. She never saw Reiji, Ayato or Laito once. She wandered the halls until she heard a noise coming from somewhere ahead of her.

"Are you going to Scarborough fair?"

An eerie yet beautiful song floated down the corridor. Azusa followed it.

"Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme."

Azusa came across a balcony that jutted off of the hallway, and she peaked outside. The doors were open and the curtains fluttered.

"Remember me, to one who lives there." The voice drifted from a small body, dangling it's feet over the edge of the railing. Kanato sat singing, and Azusa was silent, intending to watch.

"She once was a true love of mine." Azusa's blue hair fluttered in the breeze, and she hopped Kanato didn't see it. She wanted to hear more singing.

"Tell her to make me a cambric shirt... Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme."

Kanto held up his Teddy for some parts, and she imagined that he wanted Teddy to sing too.

"Without no seams nor needlework…. Then she'll be a true love of mine.~" Kanato stopped and turned. He must have just noticed Azusa.

The bluenette seemed flustered, "Oh, I'm sorry Kanato, please, keep singing if you wish. It's beautiful." Azusa said. His voice really was wonderful.

"No. The mood is ruined. Anyway. When you saw me dangling from the balcony," Kanato swung his feet to emphasize what he meant,"Why did you just continue to listen? Why didn't you tell me it was dangerous and I should get down?" Kanato said, seemingly frustrated.

Azusa looked puzzled. Maybe Yui sat some expectation of mortals before she had gotten there. "I just didn't expect you to care... Pardon me, but it's only a two story drop, that shouldn't even take the wind out of you..."

Kanato giggled, then laughed openly. He sighed afterwards. "You're so much more intelligent and competent than Yui, but she's so scared all of the time, it's much more entertaining. Azusa walked over to the balcony. Beside Kanato.

"May I sit?" She said, gesturing to the balcony.

"You may, but if you fall, I'll laugh and make a doll out of your body." Kanao said with a mockingly sweet smile. Azusa smiled back.

"Fair enough." The young imperfection threw her hair over her shoulders and stepped over the railing, taking her seat besides the purple haired vampire. Azusa took a deep breath. "You know, my father used to sing me that song, Scarborough Fair. I know it well." Azusa said without looking at Kanato.

"Then sing some!" He said, knowing it was a two part song and wanting to hear her voice. Maybe singing would embarrass her!

Azusa cleared her throat without hesitation and began to sing,"Tell her to find me an acre of land." She sang in a higher voice, confident in her skill.

Kanato sang the second part,"-sprinkling of leaves." He finished after Azusa. The girl gave a small smile.

"Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme," they sang together, harmonizing surprisingly well.

"She washes the grave with her silvery tears." Kanato echoed.

They continued singing for a minute or so, enjoying themselves before Laito opened his window and played the piano with them. At first Azusa was shocked, she had no idea he could play. Kanato sang as if nothing had changed, and Azusa soon fell in behind him.

"She once was a true love of mine." They finished. Laito looked out his window, and Kanato and Azusa stayed in silence. They didn't look at each other or move; they just enjoyed the last bit of the song, savoring it like a rich dessert.

Finally, Reiji popped his head out of Laito's window and shattered the silence, "Dinner is in a few minutes," Reiji said, his polite way of saying, "Dinner is ready, clean up and get downstairs now." Kanato pivoted and hopped back onto the balcony, and Azusa followed suit. They made their way to dinner together. Silently.


	17. The final battle

Dinner was silent, aside from the scraping of forks against plates and such. They were served a rare steak, so rare in fact that the bluenette doubted it had been cooked at all, and salad, nothing out of the ordinary. The sound of Scarborough Fair still rung through Azusa's head, and she found herself chewing to the rhythm. She noticed that all of the vampires had wine glasses of a thick crimson liquid. Blood. Her own glass was filled with cranberry juice. She wondered if this was this some kind of a joke, then realized, it couldn't be, Reiji had no sense of humor.

Azusa was just about to take a bite of her salad- a nice looking cherry tomato and a few pieces of iceberg lettuce with just the right amount of oil and vinegar- when the familiar smell of high quality blood hit her like a wave. The blue haired girl leaped to her feet, pushing back her wooden chair with her calves. Wood scraped on wood in an abrupt skid. With a horrified expression, she dropped her fork, and the silver hit the wood with a loud clang. In the time it took everyone to look at her, she was already halfway out of the room. Ayato stood too, followed by Reiji, confused as to what was going on.

"Azusa! It's very impolite to leave the table in such a frantic man- oh," Reiji's scolding was cut off, as he was beginning to smell the blood as well. As soon Azusa was out of sight, she teleported to the front door.

"that blood smells like-" Azusa swung open the tall doors and sprinted outside. She was almost to the front gates when everyone began to teleport and run along side her. 'They must all smell it too now.' Something bad was happening. Azusa reached the front gate at about the same time Yui did. Although they came from opposite sides. The blond vampire was running as fast as her wounded legs permitted her, and was leaving a trail of blood. Her breath was shaky. Azusa took one look at her, then turned her attention to her pursuers. The bluenette drew her silver knife from where she'd hidden it, a small sheath high up on her thigh, and held it blade down, ready to fight for Yui. She was being chased by three vampires, ones who Azusa had known all too well. Blue hair fluttering behind her, she charged the three, having fought them many times, and knowing how to deal with them.

"Hey guys look!"

"It's Azusa!"

"Hey there /Usa-chan!/"

The three called, baring their fangs and closing in faster. Azusa gasped when she saw the glint of metal at their sides. She hoped they weren't carrying silver blades. If they were, and she got hit, no amount of vampire blood could save her. Azusa gave a short war cry before engaging with the first of them, dodging his knife and letting him run past her. She jabbed her elbow in his back as he passed and noticed he was carrying a normal knife. The second one came and attacked Azusa with a kick; she easily dodged. Then he came down with his blade, which was silver. Azusa's heart skipped a beat, but she dodged that too, getting too close for him to strike her and punching him hard from there. His arm came back to stab her from behind, like a kind of sadistic hug, but she ducked, making him stab his own heart. He was instantly turned to dust. The first man was on his feet now, and the third was closing in. Azusa picked up the silver knife from the pile of dust she'd just created and stepped back. The female turned to the third vampire and threw the knife she'd just collected at him. Trusting her accuracy, she turned her back and faced the first vampire boy, the one she'd simply elbowed in the spine. She was just in time, too. He attempted to stab her with his left hand, and she knocked his wrist out of the way. She went for his exposed heart. She hit, and he was vaporized. She turned to the gate to see most of the vampires looking at Yui. The new vampire had her head down, and was sitting in runner's position. As she looked up to meet her comrade's triumphant blue gaze, her pink eyes flew wide.

"Azusa!" She yelled. But she was too late. A searing pain shot through Azusa's chest. She slowly looked down and slightly to the left to see the point of a knife, a red flower blooming from where it jutted out. She looked back up, but Yui was gone, most of the vampires were staring at her blankly. Maybe they really didn't care at for her. Maybe they really were just content to watch her bleed out and die. Azusa fell to her knees and was instantly showered with ash as Yui stabbed the final vampire from behind. She had used her strength to teleport, and stab him with Subaru's silver knife. The one he'd entrusted to her before she'd left. Azusa fell backwards and Yui caught her against her shins. The vampires were instantly all around her.

"I missed?" Azusa asked and Yui laughed sadly. Azusa was surprised at how emotional the vampires were. She expected no one at all to care, so even remote concern was a surprise, even if only a few payed any heed. Azusa took a long blink, and felt heat against her lips. Someone had kissed her. When she opened her eyes, she had no idea who it was, they were all sitting in the exact places they were moments before. Did she just imagine it? She focused on the more important matter. "Reiji, Yui, Ayato, just tell them, and take the knife out please," She said in a mutter, growing more and more tired by the second. In the next moment, Shuu was leaning over her, his hand on the blade of the knife. He pulled it out in one motion, an indifferent expression on his face. Azusa yelped weakly, then passed out from the pain.


	18. 18-Another nightmare

The dream came again. Azusa's father put her to sleep with his syringe. She remembered someone else's voice and thoughts in her head. A woman's. The strange lady's memories blended with Azusa's. The woman was a vampire. A daughter of the demon king, but not the same one Yui had spoke of. She'd died in an awful battle. A silver blade cut out her heart while she was alive and burned her body. Azusa cried out at the awful images. Before she knew it she was awake. She looked around, it was her father's study. She tried to sit up, but her hands were still tied. Suddenly, she couldn't control herself. Another voice came from her body.

"Who's imprisoned me here? Why am I trapped in such a frail body?!" She yelled. Her father came into view, holding a vial.

"Your heart was taken from your body. I created a new one for you. I reclaimed your heart and placed in here. Your blood now runs through this girl's veins. You are her. You have awakened and assumed full control. If you drink this, you may rise again!" Her father spoke much too quickly, and without hesitation, quickly brought the vile to Azusa's lips. The fast speech confused her, and it seemed much too rehearsed. Fake even. The vampire that was in control didn't notice. She drank the liquid from the vile greedily. Azusa was thrown back into a deep sleep. she didn't know how long she floated in the darkness of slumber. "Memory loss is a side effect, I apologize." She heard before being jolted back out of the darkness for real this time.

Azusa woke up sometime around noon the next morning, and found that she was laying on something odd. She investigated as best she could in the blinding light of day, only to find that it was one of the boy's chests. She looked around, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make her head move up. She was in her room, in her own bed, that much she knew. But there was no way to tell who was holding her. Finally she gave up, and went back to sleep.


	19. Perfect

When she woke up the next night, she was the only one in her bed. Yui was sitting on the sofa in her room. Azusa propped herself up on her hands, and forced herself into a sitting position. When Yui saw the slow movement, she looked over to Azusa. Upon seeing the girl awake, she rushed over and stood beside the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Yui asked, her voice soft. Azusa looked at her, she seemed almost completely healed. Then again, she was a full vampire now. Technically, so was Azusa, but healing still took her longer.

"I'm fine." She took a long pause. Any traces of happiness in her blue orbs disappeared, "So... How many of them hate me now?" She asked, expecting the worst. Yui sat carefully on the edge of the bed.

"Reiji is the same, Shuu will probably just treat you like he treats his brothers, Ayato was a little upset that he wasn't the only one who knew anymore, but he says he'll be fine of he can still have your blood. Laito said things I wouldn't repeat, but i guess he still likes you as long as he can have your blood." Yui listed off the responces, starting to smile. Azusa became hopeful. "Kanato seemed indifferent, and with Subaru..." She stopped. "Well... You can never tell."

Azusa seemed a little disappointed that Subaru didn't have a reaction. The image of his face in her dream flashed before her and her little heart sunk. "Subaru..." She whispered.

"I'm surprised you ended up getting so personal. What happened to giving no satisfaction?" Yui said playfully. Azusa blushed, she'd completely forgotten. How long had she been so emotional with them?

"Anyway, we've decided not to go to school today." Yui said with a smile, hoping to cheer Azusa back up.

"That's good." Azusa said, pushing the covers off of her and standing. The soft carpet seemed to reject her feet. She wobbled and almost fell. Yui stood and caught her. They laughed. "I'm sorry, I guess I just lost a lot of blood... No idea why it hasn't regenerated yet." Azusa looked at her hands, they were pale. She turned to Yui hesitantly. "Would you mind?" She asked reluctantly.

Yui bit her lip and moved her hair to the side. Azusa leaned over and bit her as gently as possible. Yui gasped a little. "I had no idea vampires could be this painless! I guess the boys really are sadistic." She said.

After a few moments, Azusa could walk just fine. She threw on her casual clothes and tied her long hair up into a high ponytail. When she was ready, Yui walked with her down the stairs. Apparently they were late for breakfast. Azusa was given a glass of real blood this time, as was Yui. After tasting the blond girl's blood, the crimson that passed her lips seemed bitter. They drank alone, and chit chatted. When they had finished, a silence fell over them and Azusa stared down at her glass, absorbed in the scarlet stains at the bottom.

"So... Yui..." She said without looking up. "Remember when you asked me why my blood tasted so strong?" She shut her blue eyes for a moment when she heard Yui's small noise of surprise. "I've remembered. It came to me in a dream last night."

Azusa looked up, and found it was her turn to make a noise of surprise. Around the table stood four Sakamaki, and against the walls stood the other two. They were all silent, expecting an explanation. Azusa sighed and pushed her glass away before placing her hands in her lap. She looked around at the vampires as she told them everything. The triplets were very expressive. Their mouths would form small O's when she talked about having their aunt's heart, and they would grow solemn when she mentioned her father. They even laughed at some parts about her being abused by other vampires. Although Ayato wasn't very happy about others taking her blood. Reiji and Shuu nodded every now and then, and of course the younger couldn't help but push up his glasses every few minutes. Although, however responsive everyone else was, Subaru remained mostly unresponsive. Azusa tried not to let her worry show through her voice, and tried not to stare at the youngest brother in hopes of finding a reaction. A spark of hope did flicker through the young vampire, however, when at the mention of her father, something flickered in Subaru's eyes. It was quickly gone, but on the shooting star of his emotion, coming and going in a blink of an eye. Azusa wished that he would forgive her for lying to them all of this time.

When she'd finished explaining, she sat back in her chair, a surprisingly calm expression upon her face. Everyone was silent for a moment, taking in the information.

"What do you plan to do now?" Reiji asked, shattering the silence. Azusa smiled and giggled a little.

"Do you think me being immortal changes anything?" Azusa said, slightly shocked that such cold beings would ask her opinion. "I intend to stay, if you'll let me, and be your prey. Although I do ask that I can be treated as a vampire as well." Being a vampire had grown on her, and she didn't mind it so much now, as long as she wasn't hurting anyone.

"I don't see any problem with that." Reiji said as the vampires all turned to look at her. They all gave her characteristic glares. Her raven haired brother pushed up his glasses, "In fact, that sounds _perfect_."


	20. 20- Epilogue

(Author Note: Don't read if you don't like AzusaxSubaru!)

"Wait! Subaru!" Azusa yelled, running through the garden. He'd avoided her for two days. She'd finally been able to catch up. She teleported after a few steps, placing herself right beside him.

"What do you want?" He said, turning to look at her with one red eye. She quickly composed herself. She looked up at his neck, not able to meet his eyes.

"You've been avoiding me ever since Yui returned. Maybe I was stupid for thinking we had something, but there was definitely a change from neutral to... Well I don't even know." Azusa raised her eyes up to his chin, then his lips, gaining confidence. She saw enough of his face to see that he was listening.

"I- I wanted to ask you," Azusa looked up to his eyes in one quick motion, "Do you hate me? Do you hate me now, Subaru? Please, just tell me, the indifference is worse than not knowing." She imagined her face must look confident, despite the pain in her sea blue eyes.

"I don't know. It's all I've been thinking of for the past few days." Subaru said, anger seeping into his voice. "I hate you for having so much in common with me, and being able to suffer like me! I hate that you can go through something so similar, but still remain the same! The memories of my mother drive me insane!." Subaru slammed his hand into the flowers, knocking several of them off of their bushes. "But yet I love you for all of the same reasons! And I hate you again for making me so confused!" He growled, and Azusa blinked. He looked down at her with rage in his eyes, and she looked down, to his feet this time.

"I'm not the same. I used to be timid, sweet and innocent. It's odd how murder can harden a person, isn't it." Subaru lashed out and grabbed Azusa's forearm hard, squeezing it hard and making her flinch. She looked up at the youngest Sakamaki.

He scowled at her, "There it is again, you're trying to relate to me!"

Azusa looked into his eyes once more, " Tell me, why wasn't this so hard for you when I was 'mortal'?-"

"Because for a mortal it's just a trivial issue, they'll be dead soon anyway. Mortals are nothing like us. Vampires suffer forever! We weren't this similar before!" Subaru interrupted, clearly angry. Azusa took a step closer to him.

"Remind me how being similar is so horrible again? Why can't we bear similar burdens? Why can't we be the same? If you think I can stay myself better than you, you're wrong! Remind me again, Subaru!" Azusa said, getting into the conversation, and loosing any restraint she had on her emotion.

Subaru lowered his voice to what could be considered a growl, "Every time I look at you, I'll see my pain, doubled because of yours. I'll see that there's no way I can compose myself like you, that a monster like me is even lower, not being able to do what a little girl can do."

Azusa's face softened slightly, "Accept our similarities, theres no way you can change them. If we share our imperfections and perfections, we can fill the holes and bad spaces in each other. But that's only if you let me in, so I can see and reach those spaces. In exchange, although it's not much, I'll let you in," Azusa said, not smiling for the fear of mocking him. Her blue eyes were steady, yet soft.

Subaru loosened his grip on her arm and searched her face, his scowl still present. She could see him debating whether or not to trust her. After a moment, Azusa saw how hard the decision was for him. Never before had he been shown empathy. Real empathy. Azusa reached her other hand out, the one that wasn't loosely restrained. She reached her pale fingers forward, and they found his. He flinched back at first, surprised, but Azusa was persistent. She took a step closer to him so that they were inches apart. She found his hand once again and took it, interlocking their fingers.

"Subaru, I know it's hard, but please, just trust me-" Azusa said, but was cut off. He'd removed his hand from her arm and placed it on her lower back, pressing her against him. He leaned down his head, placing his lips beside her ear.

"Tell no one." He said, and Azusa smiled.

"You can trust me." She said simply, although she knew it would take a long time for him to really trust her. But that was alright, the two of them had eternity.∞


End file.
